A vet has warned pet owners that their animals could be struggling with a food allergy – and suffering in silence. Dr James Greenwood, a regular guest on BBC Morning Live, told co-hosts Gethin Jones and Kimberley Walsh that pets could be allergic to all sorts of things.
He warned about hay fever – and explained how that could show itself in your pet. Yet he said that as well as outdoor allergies, there are indoor allergies to think about. This could be certain kinds of washing powder, or things like dust mites, storage mites – and even food. He said: “They can trigger off an allergic type reaction. Food is something that is often overlooked.
“Food intolerances. Food allergies are something slightly different to classic skin allergies as such but it can manifest as itchy skin. It can also manifest as tummy issues and things like that.
“Grain-free food is often marketed as being this great thing that all dogs need but actually grain for lots of dogs – they can tolerate it absolutely fine. What is more common is certain allergies to meat protein. Chick, beef, lamb, soya, dairy, eggs: they are much more likely to be triggering some kind of allergy.
“So try to avoid those common allergens by using single source protein foods, maybe looking at fish-based diets or turkey or duck. Something that isn’t in that list of common causes. and hydrolysed diets – so talk to your vets about a special type of food that we can prescribe, a hydrolysed diet.
“This is where the proteins have been broken down already to the point where the immune system doesn’t recognise them as being an allergen. so it can really help work out whether the food is or isn’t involved here.”
He then talked about infections. He told the co-hosts: “Something that is worth knowing at this time of year is hotspots.
“This is actually called acute moist dermatitis. That is basically where a scratch or graze on the skin, especially in thick coats of dogs such as Golden Retrievers, St Bernards, Labradors.
“You will get this kind of wet sticky patch of fur where underneath that you have got some big red marks.” Gethin asked if this was painful.
James said: “Really itchy. and actually quite painful.” He also warned pet owners to be aware of ringworm and dandruff, and see a vet if concerned.
Kimberley then asked: “With all this information, how do we navigate treatments?” James said it was important to contact your vet.
But as well as treating the issue, he said the key thing was to treat the cause. Vets, he said, can do lots of things to look into causes of such conditions, such as skin scrapes and blood tests.
From this, he said, it is easier to work out the appropriate treatment, whether that be anti-allergy medication, monthly injections, tablets or something else. He said some people turned to anti-histamines, but advised that there is no licensed anti-histamine and said his view was they are not particularly effective – but speak to a vet if you are looking at this.
He also warned: “Talk to your vet before you start giving any kind of medication from your own bathroom cabinet. That could be where we do not want to be going.”
Finally, he said people should be wary of quick fixes on social media. He said things like medicated shampoo might be the answer.
Colloidal oatmeal may also help, as could essential fatty acid supplements. But speak to a vet to get the right solution was his overall message.